Villain? No, I'll catch up with the protagonist after passing the civil service exam.

"Not enough?"

Long Xiaoyun was stunned for a moment.

A hint of surprise flashed in her innocent-looking eyes, which were adorned with delicate eyeliner, before she burst into a clear, bell-like laugh.

She thought that Lu Jingyan was dissatisfied with the offer she had made.

Having grown up in the underworld, she believes that ambition in men is not a bad thing; the more greedy a man is, the easier it is to control him.

"Great! I like men like you who have big appetites and ambitions!"

Long Xiaoyun suddenly stood up and braced her hands on the solid wood round table.

Her exquisitely sculpted face burned with an almost morbid madness and possessiveness.

"What do you want? Just nod your head today, and I'll take the entire provincial capital for you!"

"From now on, all 100,000 brothers of the Green Dragon Society, my father's overseas smuggling routes, and control of underground banks will be at your command!"

"Even I am yours!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.

In her imagination, a grand blueprint had already been drawn up: the two of them would join hands to dominate the underworld and have influence over both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

Lu Jingyan shook his head speechlessly at her late-stage delusional behavior.

He ignored the system's alarm bells flashing wildly in his mind.

He didn't reply immediately, but instead slowly picked up the stainless steel coffee spoon on the table.

Long, slender fingers held the spoon handle, gently stirring the black coffee in front of him that he hadn't drunk a drop of.

"Ding, ding, ding."

The metal spoon struck the bone china cup, producing a crisp, pleasant sound.

The faint sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet café, and little by little, it shattered Long Xiaoyun's fervent fantasies.

"Miss Long, you may have misunderstood."

Lu Jingyan put down his spoon, took out a clean white napkin, and wiped his hands very carefully.

It was as if the words he had just heard had tainted his ears.

"I have absolutely no interest in your shady establishments or your so-called 100,000 brothers."

He precisely tossed the tissue into the trash can under the table.

He raised his head, and the eyes hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses regained their all-knowing indifference and detachment.

"What exactly did you mean by saying it wasn't enough?"

Long Xiaoyun's smile froze instantly.

Her two beautiful eyebrows were tightly furrowed together, and she vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"I mean, this half-city's capacity is too small."

Lu Jingyan extended his index finger and gently tapped the area circled in red on the map.

His tone was as calm as if he were discussing urban greening plans at a municipal meeting.

"It can't contain your thugs who commit crimes and act tyrannically."

"It can't contain you, this lawless underworld princess who disregards the law."

Long Xiaoyun's eyes turned completely cold, her voice icy: "What do you mean?"

Lu Jingyan leaned back, sinking into the soft sofa.

He crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as he stared at the girl opposite him.

"What I mean is, if I arrest you, you'll have control of the entire women's prison in the province."

"The place is big enough, the security level is high enough, and it's full of people like you in the industry."

"You want to be the boss? Once you're in there, I'll put in a word with the guards and let you be the boss for as long as you want."

"What?!"

Long Xiaoyun was struck dumb, completely stunned.

From childhood to adulthood, she had heard countless sweet words from men and countless vicious curses from enemies.

But in all her eighteen years of life, this was the first time she had ever heard of such an outrageous and utterly jarring arrangement!

Send her to be the boss of a women's prison?!

Is this man's head filled with nothing but criminal law articles?!

"Lu Jingyan, how dare you play me?!"

Long Xiaoyun finally realized what was happening and slammed her hand on the table.

The force was so great that it caused a few drops of black coffee to spill from the cup.

Her once delicate and adorable doll-like face was now contorted with extreme anger, making her look like a little lioness whose tail had been stepped on and whose fur had stood on end.

"I offered you half of the Green Dragon Society's territory to recruit me, and you actually want to send me to jail?"

"To correct you, legally, this is not called 'co-opting'."

Lu Jingyan's tone remained calm, completely unaffected by her anger.

"You voluntarily confessed your crimes and the distribution of your influence; that's called turning yourself in."

"As for those establishments you mentioned, the police will shut them down later in accordance with the law. Your brothers will also receive their own sewing machines, depending on the severity of their involvement in organized crime."

"You're insane!"

Long Xiaoyun pointed at his nose, her fingers trembling violently.

Her once sweet voice now sounded sharp and shrill.

"Do you know who you're talking to? My dad is Long Xiaotian! He's the one who set the unwritten rules of this provincial capital!"

"Believe it or not, one word from me and you won't be able to leave this street today!"

Faced with this blatant threat of death, Lu Jingyan not only didn't panic, but instead chuckled.

He looked at the furious underworld heiress in front of him like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum at an amusement park because she couldn't get a limited edition toy.

"Miss Long, your gangster script is outdated in modern society governed by the rule of law."

Lu Jingyan slowly stood up.

His towering 1.88-meter frame instantly cast a huge shadow, completely enveloping Long Xiaoyun's petite figure.

He looked down at her.

There was no fear in his eyes, only a cold scrutiny and a suffocating sense of oppression.

"You just asked me, 'Would it be good for me to be your man?'"

Lu Jingyan leaned slightly forward, placing his hands on the table. His voice was deep and magnetic, yet it exuded an irresistible air of authority.

"Be my man? I'd rather be your prisoner."

"The former not only lacks a formal employment contract, but also has no social insurance or housing fund guarantees. They also have to live in constant fear, worrying about being hunted down by enemies or having their hideout raided by the police."

"The latter is different."

A mocking and sarcastic smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"Food and lodging are provided, and it's absolutely safe. If you get sick, there's a prison doctor; if you're bored, your fellow inmates will keep you company while you work on the sewing machine."

"Most importantly, they also issued uniforms."

"Although that orange vest is definitely not as pretty as your Lolita dress, it's more uniform, so I don't have to worry about what to wear every morning."

These words, while not particularly hurtful, are extremely insulting.

With the most indifferent tone, Lu Jingyan crushed the underworld princess's dream of being recruited into the government, grinding it into the ground and even trampling it under his feet a couple of times.

Long Xiaoyun has been pampered since childhood, who would dare to speak to her like that?

Her face instantly turned bright red.

It wasn't out of shyness, but because he was so angry that his blood was boiling and his eyes were burning with a crazy and venomous rage.

"Lu Jingyan! You've gone too far!"

She overturned the steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

Scalding brown liquid was spilled onto the expensive carpet, emitting puffs of white steam.

"You really think I wouldn't dare touch you? You're asking for trouble!"

Long Xiaoyun suddenly took a step back, completely tearing off that mask of feigned kindness and cuteness.

She revealed an undisguised ruthlessness and banditry trait honed from her childhood experiences in the underworld.

Since reasoning with them doesn't work, neither does offering bribes.

That leaves only the most basic method.

Robbery.

"Someone come here!"

Long Xiaoyun roared, her sharp voice piercing through the coffee shop's glass.

"Tie him up!"

"Even if I have to force myself on this guy, I'll take this arrogant cop back to the Green Dragon Society and teach him a lesson!"

With her command.

Outside the café, the black-clad bodyguards, who had been poised and ready, moved instantly like wolves that had heard the battle horn.

"Bang!"

The heavy glass door was kicked open violently, and shards of glass shattered all over the floor.

A dozen or so burly, menacing-looking top-tier thugs swarmed in like wolves and tigers, instantly surrounding Lu Jingyan.

Although they weren't carrying guns, each of them pulled out a black baton and baseball bat from the back of their suit jackets.

A murderous aura emanated from them.

The temperature inside the café suddenly plummeted to freezing.

A fierce battle is about to break out.